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These are Apple Music’s 100 best albums. Readers say ‘no way.’
Many believed that these albums should have taken the top slot.
Apple Music’s list of the Top 100 albums of all time did not seem to strike a chord with many Boston.com readers.
The music streaming service announced 10 albums per day, starting at the 100th-ranked album on May 13. With the announcement of the top 10 albums last week, the full list was officially complete.
Lauryn Hill’s only studio album, “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill,” topped the list at #1, with “Thriller” (#2) by Michael Jackson and “Abbey Road” (#3) by The Beatles following close behind.
We asked readers for their opinions on Apple Music’s full ranking and if they agreed with it. An overwhelming 97% of the more than 200 readers who responded did not, and many had thoughts on what albums should have nabbed the top spot or been placed at a higher rank.
Overall, do you agree with Apple Music's ranking?
Yes
3%
No
97%
Some readers believe that “The Dark Side of the Moon,” Pink Floyd’s eighth studio album that was ranked 28th on the list, should have been placed higher than it was. The album, which was released in 1973, frequently appears on Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Albums of All Time” ranking.
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“Dark Side of the Moon is the greatest album ever made. There’s a reason it charted for 14 straight YEARS after release and has charted again many times since then,” said Derek from Orange.
One reader in London called the album “so ahead of its time” and said it has “some of the best song writing in history.”
Other readers saw fault in the fact that The Beatles were not the musical act to be ranked first. “Abbey Road” was ranked third and their 1966 album “Revolver” was ranked 21st. According to Darlene T. from Orange Park, Florida, “nobody tops The Beatles.”
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“The Beatles have nine albums better than the other top tens,” said Marque C. from Brighton.
Below, see what else readers had to say about Apple Music’s ranking and what albums they would have liked to see bumped up to one of the top spots.
What readers had to say about Apple Music’s top 100 albums ranking
Responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity.
“Not that Lauryn Hill’s album isn’t amazing, but better than Michael Jackson, Prince, and the Beatles?? And Kendrick Lamar??”
—Erica, Foxboro
“Left out some of the best especially from the 60s and 70s.”
—Carter, Arizona
“Whenever I see lists like this, my first reaction is that the list is bent in favor of albums from the last decade or two. This list has 31 of the 100 albums released in the last 24 years or since 2000. At the other end of the scale there is only 1 album from the 1950s and 10 from the 1960s. There hasn’t been time to really understand if those albums have a lasting impact. My sense is that in another 20 years many of the 31 on the list from the last 24 years will be long forgotten by most people. That said, any list that doesn’t have anything by Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Ray Charles, the Supremes, the Who, Steely Dan, Tom Petty or the Beatles’ ‘Sgt. Peppers’ probably isn’t worth my time.”
—Jeff P., Gloucester
“I’m not sure what the definition of ‘top’ or ‘best’ is. But it seems to more about quantity (sales) vs. quality (good music).”
—Bill, Boston
“There’s no way anyone beats ‘Thriller.'”
—Stacy B., Easton
“Apple should have chosen a larger amount of producers from a wide range of genres. This feels like a handful of producers picked albums that their friends made/what they enjoyed listening to growing up.”
—Joe, Anchorage
“I know I’m an old fuddie-duddie, but how is The Police’s ‘Synchronicity’ or Boston’s first album or Van Halen’s first album not on here somewhere? Sure, I’m old, but I don’t think I’m wrong here.”
—Adam, Quincy
“I would say that rock ‘n’ roll and hip-hop are well represented. Otherwise it’s just token nods to other genres. It is very hard to make a list and call it ‘best hundred albums.’ Probably much easier to choose genres. Also, most of these lists to tend to fail by over representing artist more close to their own time. Leaving out huge pop stars like Whitney, Mariah and placing Madonna fairly low down on the list while having say Adele, Taylor Swift really high up. That’s an example. Not saying that these aren’t great artists, but trust me the test of time will show that it all evens out.
So overall, pretty disappointing.”
—P, Dorchester
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